moosoobee

Kum and Get Em

2006-02-12T19:09:42Z

I am a Gatherer! Today I got up early and went poaching. I mean the real, illegal kind of poaching - not that thing you do with boiling water and eggs.* Yes, I am brave enough to steal fruit of another man's tree... and yes, there are kumquats growing here! I have located three bushes/trees within a 1 mile radius from my apartment. I don't know how long they are going to last, so I'm acting now. The only trouble is that my heart rate really gets up there (I'm stealing - STEALING!!!), and so I can only stand to take a handful at a time. And I have small hands. But how many kumquats can a girl actually eat in one day, without gastrointestinal distress? As I walked back home today with my suspiciously bumpy and protruding pockets, I realized that there is a biological explanation for my interest in collecting citrus and olives and figs and everything else I see within reach on a branch. We're all just hunter-gatherers! And I am doing my gatherer bit very well, thank you. xox
*has anyone ever had any success poaching an egg like Julia Child? She just swirls the boiling water around and pops the egg in, and voila. A wrinkly, white poached mass emerges. This does NOT work for me.

Persimmonious Blogommendation

2005-11-28T19:27:02Z

Quick recommendation for those foodily-inclined: Something In Season
As if the delicious, greens-heavy, gluten-free (gluten-free??) recipes, tone and photos weren't enough, this guy lives in Davis. (Where, by the way, cameron_vale and I now live.) And he invited us to dinner! And we went, and he and his wife were Not Weird! In fact, they were super fun. Who knew? It is, in fact, possible to meet a non-murderous wacko on the web. Long story short - I discovered Brendon's blog when researching how to use carrot tops as a green. His site had virtually the only recipe/info out there on the topic. So I emailed, with flattery and a plea for restaurant suggestions. Fast forward to last night, when Troy and I joined his family for dinner. He made (among other delicious treats) that Braised Cauliflower and Turnip dish that is featured foremost on the blog site... and also the Thai Black Rice Pudding (holy crap). I brought this no-sweat Bittman dish I'd only seen on PBS, and it kind of worked out: Frozen Persimmons. The deal is that you have to freeze Hachiya persimmons that are so ripe, they are actually like water balloons all over (not just in spots, ahem, like the one I ended up with). Then you freeze and eat with a spoon - it's ridiculous and So Good. And, regardless of how ripe the persimmons were or were not, it was a cool (tee hee) dessert to bring. Worth making again.
What was my point? Oh. Check out Brendon's blog. It's sooo good. And if you can get your hands on organic and ripe persimmons, freeze them. (I was also able to google some good ripening techniques.)

Today A Librarian Gets Her Wings

2005-08-02T14:18:13Z

O happy day! Today, wild_basil joins the ranks of smokin' hot, super smart, spectacle-wielding shushies! Congratulations. May your reign over the dewey decimal system be prosperous and appleful.

Vacation With Chicken Master

2005-07-06T15:46:28Z

I have successfully sung my nephew Theo to sleep! He is 5 months old, is not a hair-puller or a screamer, and enjoys long walks in the stroller or Baby Bjorn. See picture below (er, i have no idea how to add a picture, actually)... the bigger fellow is Isaac, his near-two year old brother. Not visible in the picture is Isaac's favorite pal (after best friend Daddy), the infamous Chicken Master. Chicken Master is a small stuffed chicken that accompanies Isaac at most times, even into the bath. Chicken Master seems to love this. Quite possibly, though, I love this more. It is no secret that kids with strange favorite toys grow up to be fabulous - witness cameron_vale, whose fave "stuffed animal" was Queenie, a flat piece of foam cinched in the middle with a plastic tie. Speaking of, c_v and I are headed to Cooperstown today, so that he can infuse himself with baseball history and I can ignore it. I am feeling shamefully (alright, deliciously) superior for having suggested this day-trip from our vacation in Schenectady. We arrived July 2nd in Boston & drove up to points Albanaic to stay with my brother and his wife in Niskayuna (not a made-up town), play with our two edible nephews (Isaac and Theo, bug's ears) and visit c_v's Uncle Charles (a wry ex-librarian who lives in the historical Stockade part of Schenectady and archives tv shows on vhs). Times have been high - Pictionary played, real aquavit ingested, hikes conquered, photos snapped. My parents even came for a July Fourth grill-out. Quick note on Our National Independence Day: I'm not sure how The Grill has evolved into a mandatory prop for the Fourth, but it has - and even I was relieved when we fired up the all-American charcoal. Luckily for my leftist integrity, the menu was balanced out by Mexico-City-style "elotes" (corn-on-the-cob with parmesan cheese, chili & lime), an AMAZING treat. Almost as subversive as our refusal to trek to see fireworks. Sparklers went unlit. Oh yeah, we bucked the System. Now off we go to worship the National Pasttime. xox</b></a>

Rasheous

2005-06-12T23:00:21Z

I made musubi last night for myself and cameron_vale, and finally got it right, with a little terryaki sauce! We were out of nori though, so... crap, I guess I didn't get it right. Whatever. Now I'm bed-ridden with a terrible rash. I think it's from the sun - CV and I went canoing yesterday, and spent plenty of time outside. My reward for getting off the couch? These horrid red welts and bumps that ITCH LIKE CRAZY all over my everything. Various nether-regions were spared, thankfully. But it is like poison ivy, and it doesn't seem to be getting better. Benedryl, hydrocortizone creme, aloe - nothing really helps. Why does this shit always happen on the weekend, when I can't go to the doctor? I could go the emergency room, but I really don't fancy being blandly ignored by a fleet of Nurse Rachets (who are all busy ignoring the head trauma and lawn-mowing-accident victims trailing blood through the waiting room). Thank god for Netflix, something to take my mind off the injustice of it all.

When Ducks Attack

2005-06-03T03:51:27Z

I need you to check this out:
http://www.thesoundoflincoln.co.uk/freak.htm

Select When Ducks Attack, or my personal fave, Duck Head. Be sure to click on the matchbox when selected. xox

Blast

2005-05-27T18:11:37Z

Last night I got a speeding ticket that negated my entire weeks' wages, and today I fought a losing battle over wi-fi with the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Apparently, Harrisburg is no-fi. Fortunately (for once), a mall has saved the day, and I am blogging at you courtesy of P, the otherwise stinky bread chain. In happy news, there is an art festival in the city this weekend, and since I'm staying at my pal BW's house tonight, I'll be able to partake in fun art action tomorrow. And Harrisburg is a gorgeous city, one I could see myself living in. Colonial bricks and stones, buildings of old, aged bell towers and petinaed steeples. The only thing missing - and this is a good thing for my ankles - are cobblestone streets. A quick, happy shout-out to the G-men, whose hometown release party is tonight. Have a blast! And a very giant congratulations to my beloved cameron_vale, whose January communication (urgent sciency paper) was just labeled a "Must Read" by some fancy Academy of Biological Sciences. Go, Mouse, go! xox

If Joseph Campbell Were Still Alive... (more star wars ranting)

2005-05-20T01:08:13Z

If Joseph Campbell were still alive, he would NEVER have let this happen. Jar-Jar, "Annie," and Count Dooku would fade from our neurons like so many bad and incoherent dreams, if only JC had the chance to (guess I'm talking about time travel and resurrection now) talk some sense into his protege. O Campbell, my Campbell, wherefore art thou when I need you to rescind your modern myth compliment and slap George around? At least someone could have helped him hire a few good Continuity/Script Supervisors.

Speaking of bad dreams, there is a PRICELESS scene in Revenge of the Sit-N-Spin when Anakin (pre-Darth Vader) wakes in a cold sweat beside his wife, the lovely N. Portman in some nebulous stage of pregnancy. And guess where they are? Well, honestly, the movie never really lets on - it could be her Senate bungalow, it could be Darth Maul's old place with a few new paint chips. But it APPEARS to be the Marriott Alderaan! Or, perhaps, the Ritz Carlton Naboo. It is A HOTEL ROOM, folks, complete with VENETIAN BLINDS and side table lamps straight out of Ikea's spring catalog. Oh, god, the headboard alone had to have been heisted from the Aladdin!
If there's one place I don't want to see a California King, it's Coruscant.

P.S. (Star Peace?)

2005-05-19T21:00:32Z

I actually kind of liked it. All the other parts of the movie, that is.

My Childhood, In Flames

2005-05-19T20:58:51Z

(This is a rant, with possible SPOILER potential for Jar Jar lovers.)

Alright, I'm exaggerating a little. But come on. (If you've not yet seen REVENGE OF GEORGE LUCAS - I mean, THE SITH - then you might opt to stop reading here. If you have seen it, then please -) Who else has questions about how the hell Leia ends up having memories of her mother to share with Luke in the forthcoming (aka 1970s era) Episodes? Who else wants to know what the fuck Count Dooku was a Count of?? And why it was so important for us to know General Grevous had chronic bronchitis??? And General Grevous is a little too Dickensian of a name. Where were the film police during the writing and production of this blasphemous Titanic of a Deus Ex Machina?? And, finally, all who agree that the words "pregnant," "married," and, to a lesser extent, "wife" and "die in childbirth" do NOT belong anywhere in the Star Wars lexicon, say aye. Aye, Aye, damnit! What happened to the grandeur and expanse of the language in those mythical 4th through 6th episodes?

I appreciate George Lucas's extreme wealth and power. He has shown me the true power of the Dark Side. Now will he leave off plundering the tender fields of my childhood? Or am I to expect Episode Seven to come cropping up in 2 or 3 unnaturally short filmmaker years?

Mile Oh Mile

2005-05-18T03:14:32Z

My fat cat is chewing on the bookcase. Bad fat cat, bad! (Hasn't she heard of licorice twigs?) I need a major cat-suppressant. Or an anvil.

I special-ed subbed at a high school today, and my duties involved "going out into the community" to volunteer with a couple students at the Salvation Army. I succeeded in separating several rows of green-tagged clothing from their hangers... and also scored a purple Snuffalufagus t-shirt and a gauzy pink scarf for $1.56. God bless Madison, Wisconsin - where the rare-finds are cheap and the substitute teacher is not punished for shopping on the clock. Upon "returning from the community," I ambled down to the outdoor track with another group of spesh-edies. Imagine my shock when I realized we were there to ogle a county-wide, eight-high-school Track Meet. O, the nostalgia! O, the slender bodies! O, that just one of those slender bodies could have made it over the pole vault while I watched. (Did you know they make them wear WW2-esque helmets now? I'll be damned if these things are going to help with a broken neck. They aren't even fashionable, or even distinguishable from those sorts of hideous helmets paranoid parents make their skateboarding sons wear in the driveway.) So - I haven't seen a Track Meet (complete with Track Athletes of a Very Young Age) since I participated in a Track Meet myself, eons and eons ago, when I myself was of a Very Young Age. This brought back such a strong and sharp longing for the pleasure of running (alright, fine - the pleasure of being in shape) that I scurried home and straight into a sports-bra. Long story short, I ran a mile. And mile oh mile, did my little calves cry out in wounded surprise!
To be continued...

Ceci N'est Pas Une Food Journal (Part II)

2005-05-15T18:35:33Z

Rhubarb is the fruit of the gods. Why even bake it into a pie? Slice, throw into pot with sugar, vanilla & water, and cook until alarmingly soft. For use on ice cream, yogurt, in crepes, etc. Blissful by itself! Hopefully there'll be some left for our dinner guests. I shouldn't have made it so early in the day...

Fava, Forgive Me, For I Have Sinned

2005-05-11T19:43:00Z

Has anyone out there ever cooked favas before? I worked with them for the first time last night, and is the crayon smell normal??? My hands smell like crayons anytime I touch the cooked beans, or anything I used to cook the beans, or anything the beans went into. For someone who always got carsick while coloring on the way to Grandma's, this is not pleasant. I want my food to remain crayon- and nausea- free! I'm approaching orange on the OCD hand-washing-alert system. BTW, has anyone heard of favism? It is not, as it turns out, the cult of worshiping one's faves (fave cat, fave chair, fave pair of tweezers... there would be a lot to worship). Rather, it is an uncommon disease that occasionally affects people of "Mediterranean descent." Note: Favas also go by horse beans, Windsor beans, pigeon beans, etc. - so why not call the disease horsism, Windsorism, or my personal fave, pigeonism? "She died of pigeonism at age 27, and is survived by two fat and guilty-looking cats." The unlucky person prone to favism will have a severe reaction when they eat raw favas or breathe of the pods' pollen. Sounds like a plain old allergy to me. Can we start calling peanut allergies "peanutism," and my allergy to penicillin "penicism"? Hee! The whole favism thing sounds pretty random. Purportedly, cooked favas present little to no danger of sickness to favaists - excuse me, people susceptible to favaism. And you're unlikely to find any restaurant that serves the beans raw.

Recipes For Disaster

2005-05-10T20:51:50Z

In a bold move toward middle age, I've created a recipe corner on the web. The mushroom/bleu cheese breakfasty thing - Mushroom Bouffle - is up there (from last week's brunch). What do you think of the format? Any suggestions on how to get it to where it will print easy?

... And A Nice Chianti (Or Chair)

2005-05-10T00:34:44Z

I bought some fava beans. Does anyone have experience with these things? I saw a recipe this month in Bon Appetit or Gourmet for a simple pasta tossed with favas, but the friend who owns said magazine is sadly on hiatus. :( Advice?

On a medical note, T & I both enjoyed physicals today with our GP (Dr. P) and his little sister, K (a visiting med student). Apart from the shadow of high blood pressure and a few updates on prescriptions, the visit was completely standard and revealed us both to be still young & healthy. T had agreed ahead of time to allow me into his appointment, and grudgingly stayed for my OB exam as well. I wanted him to start getting a feel for what it might be like when we have a bun in the oven. So... he sort of stood behind the little stirrups and held my hand. He couldn't see a thing over my knees and the hospital gown, which I figured was fine. What with Dr. P and his sister, there were enough people in the room looking under there. And, whatever, T can be inducted into the Hall of Hystronomy slowly and gently. Fine for me, fine for him. Or... so I thought. Apparently, T was watching the expressions on my face. And listening to the cold metal duck bill crank open. And watching K hand Dr. P these big swabs and things that disappeared into nether regions. Toward the end of my (brief) exam, a very pale T said "I think I'm going to sit down." Except he couldn't quite reach a chair while still holding on to my hand, and so down he went. Tim-ber! The elements of the slo-mo tableau that followed were thus:
a) an enormous T, slumping backward into the wall,
b) Dr. P trying to keep his swabs and preps from smashing on the floor, and
c) me, clinging desperately to my fainting husband as I tried to keep my feet in the stirrups and his head from smashing into something. Throughout, I was laughing so hard that tears were squirting. Speaking of, it's a wonder the speculum didn't pop out and fly across the room. We each got two biscuits from Popeye's as a post-traumatic reward. xox

Ceci N'est Pas Une Food Journal (Part I)

2005-05-08T00:16:34Z

(Except I'm afraid this may turn out to be a food journal.)
This is my second night in Chicago. Marvel, if you will, at the litany of sea creatures (and their ilk) that I consumed last night at dinner with T and family at Shaw's:
-two funny little cold crab claws
-half a King crab shin
-two inside-out sushi rolls (spicy salmon & california w/ real crab - exceeded expectations)
-lobster-stuffed baked potato
-four fresh oysters on the half shell (the last two went down because they were going to be sent away)
-half a lobster

All followed by raspberry pie (ordered against my will) and a glass of Balvenie 12.

I am not lying when I say this was the most amazing meal of 2005. Crustaceans! Bivalves! Somehow, in one evening, I managed to finally eat the requisite amount of oysters on the half shell that turns a person into "an oyster person." The trick, I discovered on the second one, is NEVER BITE FULLY DOWN WITH YOUR TEETH, lest you catch a foul piece of sea floor between your molars. As long as I soft-chewed a couple times and then swallowed, I found I could savor the actual oyster taste without ruining my entire appetite on a grain of sand.

Also of note was the lobster experience. Last night was the first time I had whole lobster in a sit-down, indoor restaurant. It was excellent, if cold (that was new, too - I'm used to the piping-hot, fresh-from-the-pot-and-barely-dead version). I'm sure I don't have to mention that I didn't order it. Having grown up in New England, I find it next to criminal to order lobster for more than $20 a pound. Let alone $25.95. But I'm not complaining! It was someone else's treat - and what a treat it was. Can I make one more elitist comment? One more and I'm through describing my shameful night of seafood decadence. I love being the resident lobster expert! Basically because no one else at the table knew what they were missing, I got to dissect the lobs-torso. Since it was a huge lobster, my efforts yielded big, sweet pec-pieces of meat. (Do lobsters have pecs? Anyway, I mean the big chunks that hide beneath the leg joints - the ones you have to dig out after you rip the limbs off.) An interesting note: perhaps because the guy was chilled, my autopsy was performed with hardly any juices splattered or guts flung. And, mysteriously, just one wash of the hands got rid of that lobstery smell everyone knows & loves.

On a non-gastro-note: Today we visited some paintings and the like, indoors. (Art Institute.) I liked some pictures by an American painter called Heade (New England fishin' landscapes, from the mid 1800s or so). And I admired Georgia O'K's picture of a road & mesa obscured by southwestern haze. But all those beautiful things caught up in the same place, separated by cold slabs of marble? I lose perspective too easily in a museum. I spent most of my time there on the floor of the gift shop, reading "The Good Cook" by Anne Willan. I learned that I must mix up all the acid & seasonings in a dressing first, before I add the oil. (And then, only a few drops at a time to start the emulsion!) Wonderful. I have always wondered about the vinaigrette, and how to get it right.

Our hotel is the Renaissance, on West Wacker - a great stretch of road, with the river out in front and the Mag Mile just a few blocks away. My only complaint is that the mini-bar/fridge door didn't close all the way last night, and the little light inside stayed on & burned hot enough to ruin my perfect sushi leftovers. :( Sad moosoobee ate a crappy Pot Belly sub for lunch, instead.

Other edible interests of the day:
-delicious Krispy Kreme glazed donut for breakfast ("delicious" and not stomach-cramping... surprising!)
-very satisfying hot chocolate at Ghirardelli's soda fountain shop across from the Water Tower action
-and, best of all, the promise of a great meal - or, at minimum, a superb cocktail - later this evening.

xox & thanks to wild_basil for kind words about my handsome pirate cat.

Brunchables

2005-05-06T19:40:39Z

Note to self - the fancy veg version of the Ham, Cheese & Egg Pudding from "The Way We Cook" works! On paper, it shall be called Mushroom & Egg Pudding with Wisconsin Bleu Cheese & Ramp Greens. In close company, it will be the breakfast thing with mushrooms. So as to remember it for next time: a perfect brunch line-up is the aforementioned fancy veg pudding (breakfast thing with mushrooms), sauteed zucchini sticks with lemon zest & red pepper, and spagetti carbonara. The green ramp slivers in the pudding and the green zucchini sticks make the meal look just healthy enough. To be shared with 10-12 likeable people.

Off to Chicago now, for repeated exposure to the word "Wacker." xox